SHPE - Fall 2008 - (Page 42)

CAREERS & EMPLOYMENT ❚ By Frances M. Correa A Focused Approach to Getting the Job You Really Want A s with anything you really want in life, you must be focused, driven to win and well prepared. Interviewing for the job you really want is no different. Throughout my consulting career, I have interviewed hundreds of candidates and conducted countless mock interviews for friends, colleagues and clients. I have seen strong, qualified candidates removed from the running because of poor interviewing skills and/or lackluster first impressions. I also have witnessed “interviewing stars” who leave lasting impressions with their interviewers. In this very competitive job market, maintaining a focused approach, a driven mindset and a comprehensive strategy are vital to landing the ideal job. The goal of this article is to prepare you not only for any job interview, but for the one you really want. The following are key strategies to ensure that when you interview for the job you really want… you get it! Interview Preparation All career advice experts offer the same critical piece of advice: candidates should do their homework, researching a company thoroughly before an interview. The company being a private firm is not an excuse to skip doing the homework. Gathering information on a company distinguishes the great candidates from the good candidates. Especially with employers in greater control of the labor market, job seekers must go beyond a prospective employer’s annual report to be considered well prepared for an interview. This requires mounting a broad, yet deep search for relevant information Lain Kennedy, Los Angeles Times career columnist and author of “Job Interviews for Dummies.” News Sources Check out NewsLink.org, Refdesk.com and bizjournals. com to know what generalinterest publications, business publications and websites are writing about the employer and its industry. Use hometown newspapers to learn about small businesses and how big businesses interact with their local communities. Trade Journals Read trade journals to get deeper into your target company and its place in the industry. Get a few months of issues in order to learn about new products and what industry is saying about the company. You may find hard copies of trade journals at university or public libraries. The full text of thousands more is available through periodical databases like ProQuest and InfoTrac. Industry Directories If you already aren’t associated with any, consider joining professional organizations, like the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, which offer access to information through networking events and professional seminars. Also, check out the American Society of Association Executives’ Gateway to Associations Directory. Google Finally, if you hope to have a company ogling you, try Googling them first. You just might come up with a nugget you otherwise would have missed. While you’re at it, SHPE ❘ Fall 2008 about the position, the company, the industry and even the interviewer. Let’s list the resources, many of which are free and available on the Internet, that will enable you to achieve that competitive edge – if you’re willing to put in the significant amount of time it takes to research and prepare. Company Website The corporation’s website is the best place to view the company as it wants to be seen. Check out the annual report, but also look for links to the “press room” or “company news” which provide recent press releases. As you mull over all this information, consider how the open position, as detailed in the job posting, relates to the company’s mission. But don’t stop there; dig deeper. Use the website’s search function to query the names of the hiring manager, recruiter or human resource contact responsible for filling the available position. You may retrieve bio pages or press releases that give you insight into their most visible activities at the company. “Learning about the interviewer is probably the most valuable thing you can do,” says Ron Fry, author of “101 Great Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions.” Research Sources Next, get some vital statistics and independent perspectives on your prospective employer. Hoover’s Online, for instance, provides brief, meaty descriptions, financial data and a list of competitors for thousands of large corporations. Your 401(k) or mutual fund account with a major broker likely provides more detailed research on publicly traded companies and industries, free of charge. “You may be able to go to competitors for the prospective employer’s financials,” says Joyce 42 http://NewsLink.org http://Refdesk.com http://bizjournals.com http://bizjournals.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SHPE - Fall 2008

SHPE - Fall 2008 Contents President's Letter From the Vice President Calendar of Events National Board of Directors The Great '08: Chapter Leaders Learn to Spread 'SHPE Fever' Browser National Retreat Provides a Redefinition An Engineer and a Politician Capitalizing on Engineering Talent Grupos de Afinidad A Focused Approach to Getting the Job You Really Want SHPE Conference 2008 IPC Update Programs & Services Keeping Warm with 'Yuper' Familia Spirit Promise of Spring Recruit, Engage and Retain Regional Student Representatives Regional Roundup Advertisers Index

SHPE - Fall 2008

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